Fort McMurray wildfire could burn for months

Fire still feeding off dry boreal forest, weather expected to cool in coming days

Scott Long of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency said 'it's quite possible' many homes left standing in Fort McMurray after the wildfire swept through will have water damage because of firefighting efforts. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"It certainly will increase in size today, and it's still listed as out of control and the conditions are still very dry. We do have some difficult weather, some interesting weather, coming up," said Matthew Anderson, wildfire information officer with Alberta Agriculture, speaking from Edmonton on Sunday.

A man wearing fire-retardant clothing walks up to a road block on Highway 63 as smoke rises from a wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alta., on May 6, 2016. (Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images)

"There's another cold front coming through and ahead of that front it's going to be very gusty, so this morning that could cause some significant growth as the winds shift and move through," he told CBC News.

Anderson it's not uncommon for a fire of this size to burn for months.

"There are a lot of hotspots and the entire area that is affected, the size is double the size of Calgary, will have to be checked by crews ... so it's going to be quite a long process and a lot of gruelling work," he said.

"We would need a significant amount of precipitation to really help to bring things under control a bit more," Anderson said, adding what little rain is expected may reach the fire zone or just fall farther north.

Firefighters prepare to be deployed into the Fort McMurray wildfire as they receive orders near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 7, 2016. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

The province's meteorology branch predicts a chance of a small amount of snow on Tuesday or Wednesday because of the approaching cold air mass.

The wildfire, which began May 1 and engulfed neighbourhoods in and around Fort McMurray, has forced more than 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. The blaze now covers more than 2,000 square kilometres. Flames have destroyed about 1,600 structures, feeding off extremely dry boreal forest.

Almost 10,000 thousand people displaced by the fire have gone to Edmonton. Many are with family or friends. As of Saturday, close to 2,000 evacuees were staying at the Northlands Expo Centre. On Sunday, Rob Brekke, the emergency coordinator for the city, said that number dropped to 600 as people found other accommodations.

Fort McMurray wildfire map, Sunday, May 8, 2016 (CBC)

On Saturday, a convoy of evacuees once again made its way from the north side of the fire to the south — more than 14,000 people have made it out in the past two days, while many others were flown to safety.

The temperature hovered around 30 C on Saturday as the RCMP escorted about 2,400 vehicles to safety south of the fire-ravaged city.

In a news conference Saturday, Premier Rachel Notley urged the last few holdouts still lurking in the city to leave at once.

"Please listen carefully to this," she said. "If you aren't a police officer, a firefighter or otherwise have a first-responder role in the emergency, you should not be in Fort McMurray."

The premier also said 32,000 households had registered with the Red Cross by Saturday afternoon. The Red Cross has collected more than $44 million in donations, so far, to help fire victims.

There is still no timeline for residents to be allowed back into their homes, but the Alberta government has begun preliminary planning, though it stresses fighting the fire is still the first priority.

Notley said the gas supply has been turned off in the city and the power grid has been damaged. Water in the city isn't drinkable and hazardous material will have to be cleaned up to make the community safe.

More than 500 firefighters are now battling the blaze on many fronts in and around Fort McMurray, along with 15 helicopters, 16 air tankers and 88 other pieces of equipment.

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